Affordability, competitiveness and camaraderie: big in Holland Speedway's new Late Model series

 By John Earl / Springville Journal

Late Model racecars are back at Holland Speedway on Holland-Glenwood Road. After a yearlong absence, the cars that once dominated the racing world at Holland are going to hit the track again in 2008. The new series is the brainchild of Late Model owner Gordon Trank who was fed up with the high cost and long travel time it took to compete in the past.

Trank took action creating an affordable way to run the cars at a local track. The cars will be restricted to a certain point to increase competition and the on track excitement. These restrictions will also lower the cost of building these cars to a winning level. The restrictions would level out the speed and handling of the cars, allowing them to run more competitively. Also the cost is cut because the series mandates certain parts, all with little tolerance for change, which will keep the more affluent teams from outspending their opposition.

The series rules can be found here. The concept for the series lit fire on racing blogs and soon became a reality. The board of directors of what is affectionately known as the LAMOT (Late Model of Tomorrow) Series, agreed to run at the local track, with Holland Speedways general manager Tim Bennett. The track plans to run the series approximately three Saturdays a month, giving the fans and competitors a chance to take a weekend off from racing to spend time with their families.

Both Trank and Bennett believe that the affordability of the cars will increase the number of teams regularly competing, which hopefully would lead to even higher attendance at the track. Holland Speedway did see an increase in attendance last season over the previous, but Bennett says “(Holland Speedway) is and always was a Late Model track,” that led Bennett to bring the LAMOT series to his facility and bring back the Late Models. Bennett hopes that more sponsors and drivers will lead to a closer racing community at the track.

Speaking of the touring NASCAR series, Bennett said, “The Busch East Series put fans in the seats, but the money we paid to bring those guys in didn’t stay in the area.” In fact that money went to the teams and sponsors of the cars that are located anywhere and everywhere east of the Mississippi. The LAMOT series would keep money in the area, and with the lower cost to operate the teams sponsorship costs could be cut. The higher number of cars at a lower price Trank said, “Will lead to lower sponsorship costs, allowing more businesses to get involved.” With more sponsors, more fans who associate themselves, either through employment or service, with those companies would be interested in seeing the races, and cheering for the driver who carries their companies name or logo. This could lead to the camaraderie that Bennett wants to bring back to Holland Speedway, something that is lost, to an extent, when the touring series’ come to the speedway. The sponsors who could come in would have the investment in a team bring money back into the local economy rather than the national economy, again adding to the camaraderie of the racing community.

The LAMOT series has a board of directors made up of former and current drivers as well as Chairman of the Board, Trank, all who have been in the local racing world for years. The Late Models were missed at Holland last year, and Internet blogs show the high level of interest from competitors and fans; although there are no official numbers, Trank says that 20-plus teams are seriously interested in the series. That would be the highest Late Model count any local track has had in quite a long time. The high number of regular competitors would bring more friends and family of the team members to the stands and create once again, a stronger sense of community at the track.

The series and track hope to have a schedule formed by late January, as well as an official number of teams. This agreement with Holland Speedway will allow the series to get NASCAR sanctioning, giving them even more recognition in the general public. The series, along with the track want to bring back the local feeling of local racing.

Source: John Earl / Springville Journal December 27, 2007
Additions: Andy Ticco
Posted: May 28, 2008
 

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